Max and Tanya - You'll Always Be Mine
by lozxtitchx
Summary: ONE-SHOT! Set during Tanya's final episode, hers and Max's final scenes with my own little twist. Enjoy!


**For the anon on Tumblr, sorry it took so long. Enjoy! **

TANYA'S POV:

I was leaving, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me. I had to. After so long of not doing what was right for my children I had to, now more than ever. I couldn't see my eldest daughter die at 19 because of Max and I and our constant roller coaster. Something had to be done…

MAX'S POV:

"When were you gonna tell me, Tan?" I questioned, walking into Tanya's bedroom as she was packing up her things

"Who told you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, our eyes locking

"Abi. She doesn't want you to go. Neither do I" I admitted

"This isn't about us anymore, Max. Can't you see that? This is about Lauren" she sighed

"We'll make it work somehow, babe, we always do" I replied "we'll fix Lauren too"

"No, Max" she proclaimed, running her hands through her hair "as much as I want to believe that I can't. Getting her away from here, away from us is the best thing for everyone"

"Even Lauren herself?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow

"Especially Lauren, Max" she sighed "she needs help, help that we can't give her"

"But what about me and you?" I asked

"There is no me and you, Max. Not anymore. Lauren, our children come first" she replied

TANYA'S POV:

"I wanna be with you, Tan" Max sighed "I want us to be a family"

"It's too late, Max" I admitted "we can't keep going round in circles anymore. One drink could kill our daughter, one drink. Is that what you want? To come home and find her dead on the sofa like Billie? Or out on the Square like your son, like Bradley?

"We can work things out, Tan" he replied

Max, we're responsible for them, for their lives, but we don't act like it, we think about ourselves and don't give them a second thought. We talk about great parents we are but we're not. In the end we just do what we want, both of us. And they've been in the middle for years, Lauren has been in the middle, since she was ten years old, since she saw you with that woman, that first woman, since she came to me, her Mum, pulling on my dress, trying to get my attention and she told me. She has been in the middle and she's the one that got hurt. Stacey and that video, she's been torn apart by all of this, she's been made to grow up before her time" I took a breath, letting a few sobs escape my lips "and it's not just you, it's me, it's when I lied to you about the cancer and she was the only person that knew, and she looked after me. She carried that burden and I let her" I stopped again, more sobs escaping "and then you came back and I just forgot about her. I did, I just cut her adrift. One minute we're like that, you know, close as anything and then the next she was just back on her own. We've done this to her, you and me and it's got to stop. It stops now, today, do you understand? It's gotta stop. There's no more us, no more you and me, no more family, not like this. I mean this is, this just doesn't work. It's toxic. And it's hurting our children, and it always will"

"Come on, Tan, you don't know that" he whispered

I shook my head, my eyes widening in disbelief… "Have you listened to a single word I've just said?

"We can change. We can make things better. We've learnt from our mistakes" he replied

"Have we? Really? I haven't. Have you?" I questioned

"Course I have" he stated

I scoffed, not being able to believe what I was hearing...

"Tan, I'm willing to change. I'm determined to change" he informed me

"That is never gonna happen" I sighed

"It can. All you need to do is give me a chance" he begged

"A chance? Like before? What like when we first moved to this Square? I should never have given you that chance. I should've never have given you that one last chance. I should never have come to this house. I shouldn't of. I should've just cut my losses and protected our girls from us. But I didn't, did I. Because I'm not like Rainie, I'm not addicted to crack or Lauren with a throat full of vodka. It's you, you're my drug, you always have been" I professed through sobs "you're my sickness. And I can't do it anymore. I can't afford to do it anymore. For Lauren or Abi, oh and Oscar. For all of us"

"Tan, if you just stay, if we just got back together" Max sighed

"Then it would happen" I cut him off "it would happen again. Something would happen. And Lauren will be there, she'll be in the middle. She needs to get away from us. Do you understand? From us"

"What about what we want?" he asked

"We need that too" I informed him simply "no matter what we feel, we need that too, otherwise we're never gonna move on. We have to make that break, together, today"

"So what you gonna do? You just gonna go and leave me forever?" he questioned

"Yep" I informed him, wiping a stray tear from my eye "I've booked a cab. I'm gonna get the last train down"

MAX'S POV:

After yet more pleading and begging to no avail, Tanya left the living room and I followed, Lauren making her way down the stairs. I glanced at Tanya and made my way over to her…

"Why is everyone shouting? Why are you two always shouting?" she questioned

"Come here" I replied, making my way to the bottom of the stairs to stand opposite her

She glanced at Tanya reluctantly yet stepped forward and I pulled her into my arms, hugging her tightly… "My beautiful little girl"

"I'm not so beautiful anymore" she scoffed

"Yes you are. You are beautiful. Just like that beautiful baby I brought home from the hospital" I replied

We pulled away and she looked at me… "Are you crying?"

TANYA'S POV:

Myself, Abi, Mum, Lauren, Oscar and Max made our way out of the house and down the steps to the taxi. When I'd said my goodbyes to Mum and Abi and made sure Lauren and Oscar were safely in the taxi I made my way back to Max who was standing waiting. For a few moments we just looked at each other and as I turned to walk away he grabbed my arm…

"Tan" he sighed "all you've gotta do is ask me to come. I'll get in the cab, we'll shut the door and we'll drive away"

"I love you" I admitted

"Yeah, and I love you" he mirrored, his fingers stroking my cheek gently "you're mine, you know that? You'll always be mine"

"Course I will, course I will" I replied, holding his hand with both of mine, taking one away and stroking his cheek "and you'll always be mine, no matter who else comes along"

He took a step towards me and pressed his lips to mine, resting our foreheads together when he pulled away. I smiled at him weakly and moved away, making my way to the taxi…

"Tan" he called as I was about to climb in "don't look back"

**Da-da. Sorry it's taken me so long to write this but I hope it's lived up to expectations! **


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